For the last 2 days, from the moment I got back to my car, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this run. I've been thinking a

I have always wanted to do "that free marathon" up in Maine, ever since I first read about it in Runner's World when it starte

I first learned about the Hills to Sea trail a few weeks ago through the awesome local trail running group I've become involved with since moving to Maine, Trail Runners of Midcoast Maine. The route goes from Unity, ME at the west side to Belfast, ME on the east side and covers some 47 miles of trail by running across over 60 privately owned lands. The trail opened in fall of 2016 after completion of the last section. After doing some asking around, I heard that two others ha

"Get to the top of the hill, then run as fast as you can the rest of the way and I'll stay right behind you." I said to Woo as we approached mile 53 (ish) of the 62 mile race. A few miles earlier, I had run into the last aid station and she and my brother-in-law, Mike, asked where the other pacer I was running with was. I said I wasn't sure but I thought I lost him a few miles earlier. Woo asked "do you think I can keep up" and without much thought I gave a quick "probably no

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man." - Benjamin Franklin New Year, new you? Or something like that? Either way, I'm trying to focus on looking ahead more-so than continuing to dwell on the major races that didn't go how I wanted them to. Time to move on, learn from those mistakes, and find myself a better man in the process. 2018 started off with a new diet and a lingering injury. I've been battling so

This is something I've asked myself many times in the past few months before and after registering for the race and something I've been asked at least as many times by other inquiring minds. It seems like a simple enough question on the surface, but the honest answer goes deeper than that. First, what is the Vol-State 500k? From the race website: "The Vol-State is not just another ultra-marathon. It is much more than that. The Vol-State is a journey, an adventure, and an expl

“If one could run without getting tired I don’t think one would often want to do anything else.” — C. S. Lewis 2016 - what a year. This quote is of particular meaning to me when I think about the past year and my running through it. 2016 was also a great year for many other reasons, but for all intents and purposes we'll stick to the running here. It was by far my most successful as an athlete. I think it is fair to say that I owe all of my recent successes to my fantastic co

143.39. I keep thinking to myself that this number is absurd. 143.39 miles. In 24 hours. I still can't believe that I did it. I mean, in my heart I knew I could, and it is what I was aiming for, but to have such an ambitious goal realized after over a year of hard training for this very number (or at least 140) is still kind of surreal. Let's back up a little bit. Back to August 16, 2012 in Burlington, Vermont. This was 2 days before the USAT Age Group National Championships.

Three weeks later and I'm still having trouble putting words to paper (or computer as it is) about my second attempt at the 24 hour timed event. I knew going in that I didn't put in quite the training miles for this race as I did for my first 24 hour back in May, especially that last couple of training blocks. This was mostly due to the fact that I wanted to try to sneak in a 2017 Boston Marathon Qualifier, which I did when Woo and I went up and ran Quebec City marathon in Au

Before racing the 2016 edition of the Sweltering Summer 8 Hour ultra I had won 6 races overall in my running "career" (including the 2015 edition of this race). I had the mindset going into this race that it would absolutely be my 7th career win. That's how I tend to approach most races these days, unless of course I know it's not realistic. Also, coming into this race I had never successfully "defended" a title either. I also expected that to change. Suffice it to say that